Chester, CH1 1HB
Original owners: Glynn Animated Picture Company. Partners, Glynn Hill, G.E. Bulford and J. Pickett.
Architects: Marshall & Muspratt Partnership.
Date opened: Saturday 19th June 1911.
Opened by: The Deputy Mayor of Chester, Alderman Richard Cecil Davies.
First General Manager: Charles Powell.
First operator: E. Angers.
Total seating capacity: (stalls & balcony) – 750 seats.
Change of ownership: Glynn Picture House Ltd. Saturday 28th October 1922.
Taken over: General Theatres Corporation Ltd. March 1928.
Taken over: Gaumont British Picture Corporation Ltd. May 1928.
First Chester cinema to introduce continuous performances: Monday 1st October 1928.
Date closed: Saturday 5th September 1931.
Final General Manager: Fred Rowley.
Final chief projectionist: Fred Dickenson.
Grade II listed: Monday 10th January 1972.
Serious fire damaged: December 1995.
Auditorium demolished. Retail unit built in its place, retaining the undamaged façade.
Building extant.
Few people know the whereabouts of this silent cinema. Amazingly the black-and-white vernacular frontage can still be seen, opposite Parker’s Buildings on Foregate Street, Chester.
Partners, Glynn Hill, G.E. Bulford and J. Pickett, formed the Glynn Animated Picture Company on 10th January 1910. Architects, Marshall & Muspratt Partnership were commissioned to design Chester’s first purposed built cinema. A moderately sized venue that would comply with the 1909 Cinematograph Act which came into force in the following January 1910.
GLYNN CINEMA
Queens Square, WREXHAM
The company had already opened the Central Cinema Shrewsbury and the Glynn Cinema Wrexham. This latest addition to the company’s portfolio was also to serve as their main office.
An early photograph of the frontage of the Glynn Picture Hall on Foregate Steet, Chester.
Described as “A High-Class Entertainment of Animated Pictures” in local advertisements, the construction and appointments were considered to be basic, having a metal corrugated roof. The rectangular auditorium block extended to Forest Street. However, some press reports had more acceptable descriptions, stating that “Chester has one of the finest electric theatres in the county, in the shape of the Glynn Picture Hall”. “The decoration and furnishing have been most charmingly executed by the well-known firm of Messrs. F. Wilkins & Brother, of London and Liverpool, in shades of apple green and de Barr grey”.
The capacity was 750 seats set out in the balcony and stalls areas.
The chosen cinema’s name, taken from the Christian name of one of its founders- Glynn Hill, was initially The Glynn Picture Hall.
Charles Powell was appointed as the first General Manager.
Although Chester’s Mayor, Alderman David Hewitt was advertised to perform the opening, he was delayed on business in London. Therefore, the opening of the Glynn Picture Hall on Monday 19th June 1911, was performed by Chester’s Deputy Mayor, Richard Cecil Davies, supported by M.P. for Chester, Robert Yerburgh and Edward Paul, J.P. The silent film ‘Sixtus the Fifth’, was one of the films shown at the Gala Opening. Live music that accompanied the silent films was provided by the resident Hillman and Glynn orchestra under the direction of Mr. T. Imerson.
With admission tickets priced at 3d., 6d., 9p., and 1/., business was buoyant. The only competition was from the 400 seat Picturedrome Cinema which had been formed within the Corn Exchange Buildings on Eastgate Street that had opened eight months previously. However, the Music Hall opened as a full-time cinema in December 1915, followed by local fairground showman, Pat Collins 1160 seat Cinema De Luxe. Competition also came from the suburbs, when the Park Cinema opened in Saltney in May 1923.
Local newspaper advert for the Glynn cinema. January 1915
On Saturday 28th October 1922 the business was acquired by the newly formed Glynn Picture House Ltd. The directors were listed as William and Josiah Taplen (who were also involved with the take over of the Chester Majestic and Music Hall cinemas), H. Bickett, J. White, A.J. Davies, W. Baird, J.T. Hart. The cinema was re-named, the Glynn Picture House.
Following the amalgamation of existing circuits at national level in March 1928, the General Theatres Corporation Ltd acquired three Chester cinemas. The Glynn, Majestic and Music Hall were now operated by the same company. The national deal quickly ran into trouble because of a £3.5 million share funding issue. Within two months, Isidore Ostrer, of the Gaumont British Picture Corporation Ltd., seized the opportunity to take over General Theatres, thus the Glynn was now controlled by GBPC.
Isidore Ostrer
Under their management the Glynn became the first Chester cinema to adopt continuous performances from Monday 1st October 1928. The following year Gaumont British Picture Corporation acquired the UK’s first national cinema circuit, Provincial Cinematograph Theatres who had active plans of building a large cinema in Chester, later known as the Gaumont Cinema.
The Music Hall became the first city cinema to introduce sound in September 1929, followed by the Majestic in May 1930. A decision was taken to close the Glynn, that had remained a silent cinema throughout its operation, with full attention now being given to the company’s new, huge super cinema that was under construction a short distance away.
The final film shown on Saturday 5th September 1931 was ‘Lure of The South Seas’, starring Raymond Wells and Leo Kelley.
Fred Rowley. The Glynn’s final manager and the Gaumont’s first manager
The manager Fred Rowley, who was a nephew of two former directors of the Glynn Picture House- (the Taplen brothers), was appointed General Manager of the much grander 2000 seat Gaumont Palace Cinema on Brook Street, which had opened a few months earlier. His chief projectionist, Fred Dickenson, also transferred to this newly built cinema.
The building was then used for a number of diverse retail businesses; Fruit and Veg Market, Car Sales etc.
The building was given a Grade II listing on Monday 10th January 1972.
In December 1995 when occupied by Why Cash and Carry, a major fire broke out around 5 pm. The unit was engulfed, requiring ten Fire Engines and 2 Aerial Platforms. The building stretched almost to Forest Street at the rear but the fire was contained and there were no injuries.
A recent picture, although the building is waiting for new owners.
The original façade survives with a rebuild on the ground where the auditorium block once stood.
As for Glynn Hill, he came out of early management retirement in 1932, becoming the proprietor of the King’s, the first cinema in Exmouth to show a sound film. He passed away at the age of 74 in 1937.
© chestercinemas.co.uk
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Glynn became the Glynn Picture Hall Ltd.
from Monday 1st October 1928.
